As personal computers (PCs) have improved in processing capability, various application programs have been developed which enable the creation and display of audio-visual presentations. In the mid 1980's, the IBM Corporation marketed a PC application program entitled "PC Storyboard" which enabled the preparation and display of color presentations on an IBM PC. The PC Storyboard software was comprised of four program segments. A first segment, entitled Picture Maker enabled the creation and modification of pictures in medium resolution graphics. Picture Maker included commands to write text, draw figures, generate charts and to cut and paste images between pictures. The second segment, Picture Taker, was employed to capture picture images of screens from other PC application programs. Story Editor was a third segment which enabled the PC user to organize pictures into presentations (stories). It provided for the selection of a variety of picture-to-picture transition methods that allowed one picture to dissolve into another. Variables such as display times, colors and whether the picture would be developed as a full picture or as a series of partial pictures was also enabled by this software. Storyboard also included a segment entitled "Story Tell" which enabled the presentation of stories assembled by the other segments.
PC Storyboard had a limited color choice availability, i.e., a background color and a three-color palette. The background color could be selected from one of sixteen choices. Two choices of color palettes were available, one offering green, red and yellow and the other offering cyan, magenta and white. Each palette was able to be shown in either of two intensities i.e., an intensified "mode" or a "non-intensified mode". In order to provide color variations, other colors were generated by causing picture elements (PELS) to be of alternating colors to provide a visual half-tone effect.
While Storyboard was, for its time, a remarkable product for the PC, it required considerable education of the user before acceptable level presentations could be produced. Additionally, it was somewhat circuitous in its handling of colors other than the primary colors contained within its palette.
Recently, the use of windows, pull downs, cursor selection and other display-oriented, user interface instrumentalities have come into favor. These enable a PC user to directly interface with the PC's software and to control it largely from cursor-controlled screen selections. Substantial capability, color presentation systems, however, have not, to the inventors' knowledge been made available with user-friendly screen interfaces.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a color palette display interface for a computer-based image editor that provides a user with complete color selection and edit capability.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a color palette display interface which provides the capability for selecting and altering anti-aliased color combinations.
It is another object of this invention to provide a color palette display interface which enables a user to immediately perceive on a computer screen, the results of a choice of palette color.